The first round of the 2024 Olympic women’s golf competition is over, with Nelly Korda and Rose Chan both signing at par 72.
Le Golf National tested them but neither felt undercut by their performance, despite being seven strokes behind first-round leader Celine Boutier, the Frenchman setting the tone with a seven-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead.
The two Team USA members marveled at the crowds and the great atmosphere on the golf course.
“The atmosphere was insane,” Korda says. “I can’t imagine what it’s like inside a Celine store. [Boutier] Group. I’ve heard a few cheers and it’s been a great experience so far.”
She explained that it would be a lot of fun to host the Solheim Cup at Le Golf National, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018 and the crowds there were incredible.
The 21-year-old phenom echoed the sentiment, saying it’s great to see more people supporting women’s golf.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
“It’s nice to have spectators and it brings a little bit more attention to women’s golf, and it’s especially fun because it’s the Olympics,” Zhang explained. “No matter what I do, what I hit, the spectators are great. They still cheer me on, they still cheer for my country, and it’s still nice to see that support.”
The Olympics often draw large crowds, especially after 2021 and the COVID-19 restrictions this year. Patriotism is at an all-time high, but more importantly, having such a large audience for women’s golf marks a big moment for the sport.
Korda elaborated further on the women’s progress and spoke about how surreal it was seeing the number of spectators there when she hit her first tee shot.
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Photo by Emmanuel Dunant/AFP via Getty Images
“I looked at the men’s crowd,” Korda explained, “and there was an equal number of women’s crowds, and I was blown away. I didn’t know what to expect when I walked onto the first tee. Then I looked at the green and saw about four people lined up. I said to Jason, ‘Wow, this is so cool.’ I didn’t expect that many people to come.”
The 14-time LPGA winner has been instrumental in the growth of women’s golf, which continues to grow in popularity and fascinate people, and seeing her at the Olympics shows just how good the women’s game is.
Those wanting to watch Korda defend her gold medal can tune in to the second round, featuring Jingyong Ko and Luoning Ying, at 5:55 a.m. ET. Chan will tee off at 5:44 a.m. ET along with Charlie Hull and Hannah Green.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
